Meaning & use
strong-spirited
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Brave and determined, with a lively character that is hard to control or discourage.
Grammar: Usually describes a person, an animal or a group; can take 'more' and 'most' but rarely '-er/-est'.
Patterns
- a strong-spirited person
- strong-spirited about something
- too strong-spirited to do something
She was a strong-spirited girl who never let anyone decide her future for her.
The horse was strong-spirited and needed an experienced rider.
His strong-spirited grandmother ran the family business into her nineties.
Word forms
| comparative | more strong-spirited |
|---|---|
| superlative | most strong-spirited |
Common combinations
- a strong-spirited woman
- The novel's hero is a strong-spirited woman who refuses to obey the rules.
- a strong-spirited horse
- This strong-spirited horse is quick but hard to handle.
- young and strong-spirited
- The team was young and strong-spirited, and never gave up.
- strong-spirited enough to resist
- She was strong-spirited enough to resist the pressure from her family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spirited
- Means lively and full of energy, but says nothing about strength of will, so it is weaker than strong-spirited.
- independent
- Focuses on not needing others' help or approval, while strong-spirited stresses courage and determination.
- feisty
- Informal and often used of small or older people who are lively and determined; strong-spirited is more neutral in register.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: strong-spirited or strong-willed? strong-spirited or high-spirited?
strong-spirited vs strong-willed
Strong-willed means determined to get your own way and is often slightly critical; strong-spirited is warmer and suggests courage.
strong-spirited vs high-spirited
High-spirited means lively and full of fun, and is often used of children or horses that are hard to control, without the idea of inner strength.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'strong-spirited' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Strong-spirited' describes people or animals with courage and determination. The other options use it for food, actions or weather, where 'strong' or 'spirited' alone would be needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “strong-spirited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.